


Dating Games

by niajaxx (msfoxxyfoxxy)



Category: Professional Wrestling, World Wrestling Entertainment
Genre: ?? maybe, Angst, Dating, Drama, Hitch!AU, Humor, Love Triangles, M/M, This is an angsty romantic comedy tbh
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-03
Updated: 2017-04-16
Packaged: 2018-10-14 13:43:40
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,831
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10537686
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/msfoxxyfoxxy/pseuds/niajaxx
Summary: Roman Reigns is a relationship consultant and life coach with a high success rate in helping people improve their lives and get the person of their dreams. Seth Rollins is a trust-fund baby who falls for Dean, a semi-reserved guy who works at the gym he frequents. Roman takes Seth on as a client and at first, he's confident that he has what it takes to get him closer to Dean. That is, until he starts to fall for Dean too.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This idea came about while watching Hitch and talking about wrestlemania at the same time with my friends and cousins. Wild, huh?  
> Special thanks to my muse [Jez](http://jezebelheart.tumblr.com/).

Roman Reigns personally thought that he had the best job in the world.

Not many people have the patience and willingness to deal with other people’s issues, but Roman revels in it. He loves taking someone completely hopeless and leading them on the path to success,  _ especially _ romantic success.  

Some people think dating and relationship gurus are all like that skeevy guy who used to be on MTV or VH1 or whatever, claiming that all women want a bad boy to bring them flowers and candy and listen to their problems before whisking them away on his Harley. No. Wrong.

Everybody is different and is looking for someone tailored to their wants and needs. Roman understands that. That’s what makes him so good at his job.

To date, Roman has helped over 35 (THIRTY-FIVE) men and women connect with someone they had their eyes on. Do the relationships always last? No. There’s always a possibility that love doesn’t last forever and someone that you thought was the one really isn’t. However, out of the 35 that he’s helped, 31 of those went on to have a serious relationship, and 28 of them went on to get engaged. Those numbers looked amazing on his resume, and the more people he helped, the more his name spread around the Miami grapevine, and before he knew it, he had a reputation.

“The Date Doctor” is that they called him. He’s even got a website and everything, courtesy of his IT best friend Naomi.

Roman receives a couple emails a day, ranging from horny guys trying to get into some poor girl’s panties, to lovelorn women who are just ready to settle. He’s very picky about who he helps, though. He doesn’t work with people who only want temporary. He only wants to help those who are looking for something permanent with someone special.

\---

Roman was sitting at his laptop in the living room, reading an email from a client who had recently scored a second date and wanted to excitedly share the news with him. He was in the middle of replying with information about their next meeting when a new email popped up in his inbox. When he was finished replying to the message, Roman went to read the new email.

**To:** roman@thedatedoctor.com   
**From:** sethistheman1986@gmail.com   
**Subject:** Hey I heard you may be able to help me…

Hi. so I got your information from a friend of a friend who says your services are legit and I need your help. I’ve never done anything like this before so I don’t know what I am doing. but there is a guy and I really like him and I heard you’re good at helping people get with “the one” so.

If you’re interested in helping, please call or text me at 305-555-6702.

\- Seth R.

\- Sent from my iPhone

Roman pulled up his calendar and checked his future appointments. He was only working with two other clients at the moment; a guy named Bo who was nearing the end of his services, and a woman named Alicia Fox. Alicia was a piece of work and needed to be micromanaged, which was why he was going to wait to add another client to his list. However, for the past week Alicia had been impressing the woman she was interested in and her frantic texts to Roman had calmed down, so Roman figured he could take on another case.

He sent Seth an introductory text and suggested they meet up the next day so they could go over the basics. Not even a full minute later, Seth text him back with a litany of thank yous.

\---

Roman met Seth at Panera and they sat outside under the huge umbrellas. When Roman approached him, Seth was already chowing down on a bowl of salad.

“Seth Rollins,” Roman said as he extended a hand, startling Seth a little, who looked up and stared at him with his mouth full. “Sorry I’m late.”

Seth continued to stare at him for a few seconds until his brain seemed to catch up with him and he wiped his hands before shaking Roman’s.

“It’s no problem. I actually came early to pick up some lunch.” He said as he shook Roman’s hand enthusiastically. His grip was nice and firm, which Roman appreciated. He had a thing against loose, weak handshakes. “You must be Roman!”

“I am,” Roman said as he took back his hand and had a seat in the opposite chair. 

“Wow, you’re…” Seth looked at him appreciatively and smiled. “I can see why you’re good at this relationship shit.”

Roman grinned. “Relationships run way deeper than looks, but thank you.”

“No problem,” Seth said. “Can I get you something?”

“No, no. I’m fine. I actually ate a really big breakfast, so I’m all good.” Roman said as he leaned closer on the table. “So, tell me about him.”

The abruptness of the question seemed to take Seth by surprise, but he immediately seemed excited to start talking about the guy he was interested in, which was a good sign to Roman.

“Well, his name is Dean. He works down at Cena Fitness. He’s the kickboxing trainer there and teaches women self-defense and stuff. Anyway, I was looking for a new gym to go to and I started going there. He was always there as well, teaching classes or doing whatever it is he does. But one day, this old guy fell on the treadmill and we both rushed to help him. It was like one of those romantic comedy moments when the two characters bump into each other and fall in love. Well, it’s like that, but I was the only one who fell in love.”

Seth paused to laugh, and he seemed to find it genuinely funny, but there was an obvious underlying hurt there.

“I’m not really in love, by the way, but… You ever met someone and knew right away that they were gonna be important to you? Not just because of their looks, but because there’s something that draws you to them. That’s how I feel about Dean. I wanna get to know him. I wanna take him out and show him a good time. And sometimes, he seems like he’s into me, but whenever I try to flirt, he shuts down.”

“So, he never shuts you down?” Roman inquired. “Only seems to close off at the flirting?”

“Yeah!” Seth insisted. “If I’d flirt, he’d smile, but then he’d make an excuse to leave.”

“That’s good!” Roman said.

“It is?”

“Yeah. If he wasn’t a little interested, he wouldn’t smile. Maybe there’s a reason he’s hesitant to flirt. Or maybe he really isn’t interested. We’ll have to find out together.”

Seth smiled and sighed. “So, that means you’ll help me? The lady who referred me said you’re kinda picky about who you take on as clients.”

Roman smiled and took out his phone. “I am. I’m not interested in helping people who want flings, but you seem genuine. It sounds like you really like him.”

“I do!” Seth said forlornly, and Roman believed him.

He was good at reading people. He supposed that’s why he was so good at his job. He was always able to get an accurate read on the person his client was interested in, and was able figure out what they were and were not into. 

Roman opened his notepad on his phone and started writing down a customized set of tips.

“I want you to try to invite Dean out somewhere as friends. Try to subtly emphasize that it’s a platonic outing. Is there anything you could tell me about any of your failed attempts at flirting? Be honest.”

“Um,” Seth stared down at his half-eaten salad. “I tried namedropping my family a few times.”

“Your family?”

“Yeah, I’m an heir.” Seth said as he continued to look down at his bowl. “To the McMahon Resorts.”

“Oh, shit.” Roman said exasperatedly with a chuckle. “So, this guy probably doesn’t care about money.”

“Isn’t it great?!” Seth asked as he looked up again. 

Roman shrugged. “There’s nothing wrong with someone wanting a partner with a good ass bank account, however, I can see why meeting someone who wasn’t interested in your wealth would be exciting for you.” He scribbled those things in his personal notes and hummed. “Maybe take him to a lowkey bar. Somewhere normal. No fancy places. I really want you to give him space while you’re there. Not too much where he feels like you’re ignoring him, but enough so he doesn’t feel like you’re super into him, which you are, but he doesn’t need to know that at the moment. Pay attention to how he reacts to the distance and let me know.” Roman continued writing down everything he was saying, and he paused to look up to make sure Seth was still with him. When he saw Seth nod in understanding, he went back to his phone. “After the bar, go for a walk. Ask him questions and actually listen and respond to what he says. Responding is important because it lets him know that you’re actually paying attention.”

When Roman was finished writing his tips, he sent the list to Seth’s email and looked up again. “I emailed you everything I just told you, so you’ll have it handy in your pocket. I want you to try to follow them as closely as possible throughout the week.”

Seth nodded and pulled out his phone as soon as it chimed. 

“And don’t mention your wealth or family again unless he asks or unless you guys start talking about family or something.” Roman added. “He doesn’t care.”

“O... k…” Seth said slowly.

“Am I going too fast?” Roman asked.

Seth shook his head. “No, it’s just… I wasn’t expecting all of this so soon. We haven’t even discussed pricing and stuff.”

Roman smirked. “I discuss pricing after the first official date. Think of this as a trial run to see if we can work with each other.”

“Alright,” Seth said dubiously. “Sounds good.”

“Good,” Roman said as he tucked his phone back into his jacket pocket. “Let’s do this.”

\---

The first few weeks went extremely well. 

Seth invited Dean out to a bar to watch a basketball game. Unfortunately, Dean did not like basketball. However, he went along because, according to him, ‘he’d never turn down free beer’. Seth took most of Roman’s advice and forwarded all the random bits of information he learned about Dean to Roman via text. 

(He loves beer, hates basketball, loves football, moved from Ohio the year before, likes chicken wings, hates jalapeño poppers, has a dry sense of humor, prone to sarcasm, etc, etc, etc). 

During the second week, Dean and Seth exchanged numbers and actually text a couple times a day, which seemed to be a huge deal, since Seth revealed to Roman that Dean claimed to not like technology too much. After that, Roman and Seth decided that they could work together and Roman was officially on the case of getting Seth a shot at Dean’s heart.

On the third week, Roman told Seth to ask Dean out to see what he would say. 

“If he agrees, that’s great, but if he says no, it’s not the end of the world,” Roman said in the video chat between him and Seth.

“It’s not?” Seth asked, his chin propped up on his knees. Roman could see his fancy, expensive penthouse interior in the background and he admired the décor.

“If he says no, don’t push it.” Roman said. “In fact, shrug it off.”

“You mean act like I don’t care?”

Roman scoffed. “No. I mean, just let him know it’s fine. Continue complimenting him. Let him know why you asked him out, but reassure him that it’s alright and you’re ok with being friends. That way, he knows you’re interested and you’re mature enough to handle a platonic relationship. And when I say ‘shrug it off’, I don’t mean act like a tool. I mean, give him the impression that you have other options. That he’s not your whole world at this point in the relationship.”

The following day, Seth asked Dean out and got rejected. Roman had to listen to Seth whine for a whole hour, but he put up with it because he was proud of Seth for listening to his advice.

“Do nice, friendly gestures,” Roman advised after Seth had calmed down. “Continue to be his friend, and mild flirting is ok now and then if he’s comfortable with it, but don’t make any love confessions, no matter how tempting it is.”

Seth agreed, but before he could do any of those friendly gestures he and Roman brainstormed about (like buying Dean a six pack or treating him to a burger), Dean surprisingly asked him out two days later.

“He wants to take me to a jiu jitsu class this Friday,” Seth had said, excitable and over the moon. He and Roman were standing in his huge walk-in closet trying to pick out an outfit. “Not my kinda thing, but we’re going out for pizza right after. He made it clear it was a date.”

“Jiu jitsu?” Roman was taken aback by the fact that Dean flipped around and asked Seth out, but he quickly got back on track. “That’s… actually kinda awesome! I see he’s not one for normal first dates.”

“I’m gonna have to get sweaty,” Seth complained as he preened, seemingly unconsciously. “I don’t want to look messy and sweaty on a date.”

Roman shrugged. “Maybe he’s into that. It seems like he’s really into physical stuff and he’ll probably be into someone who’s willing to get a bit rowdy on a date or do something out of the ordinary.”

Seth looked dubious as he watched Roman inspect his clothes. “I guess. But if he’s into it, I’m gonna make myself like it.”

“Not a good idea,” Roman said, mildly distracted as he fished through all the Gucci and Armani for something more down to earth. “One of the worst things you can do is pretend to love something he’s passionate or excitable about. He’ll find out eventually. The best you can do is naturally learn to like it. If you don’t like it, be honest with him. He’ll appreciate the honesty and the fact that you tried.”

Roman found a few Nike hoodies and some pairs of jeans and he draped them over Seth’s shoulder before he continued to fish through his closet. “You wanna look casual, but you don’t wanna show up in your regular gym clothes, alright? You got any normal t-shirts in here?”

“Um,” Seth said as he gathered all the clothes Roman tossed at him in his arms. “I got some band tees in my armoire.”

“Good,” Roman said as he turned to look at him. “Wear something that’s your style, but not too flashy. Something tells me he’ll find it lame if you show up to jiu jitsu in Gucci jeans.”

Seth looked down at his armful of clothes. “Why can’t I just… wear a tank top like him?”

“Because,” Roman said pointedly. “You want him to fall for the closest version of the real  _ you _ . If you try to be too much of someone else to impress him, you’re gonna revert to your natural self eventually, and then you will no longer be the guy he fell for.”

“That’s actually… really good advice.” Seth said as he stared at Roman in awe. “You’re worth the price tag.”

Roman smiled. “I know.”

\---

The date was a success. 

Roman suggested that Seth take a few bumps and have a few “accidents” during the class, which he did, even though it was unintentional on his part. Dean patched him up and doted on him a little at the pizzeria, which got them closer. After the date, Seth called Roman to tell him everything. 

“And he stroked my hair a little when he told me to lay back and take it easy after I fell,” Seth said airily. 

“That’s good!” Roman exclaimed. “Extra physical attention is a good thing. Means he’s interested. You did good on the first date, and that’s the most important. We’re on the right track. Did you guys set up a second date?”

“No,” Seth replied. “BUT he did invite me to a company outing with his gym coworkers. They’re celebrating some huge client milestone or something.”

“Bringing you along to hang out with his friends and coworkers is another good sign,” Roman said. “Shows he’s comfortable bringing you into his personal life and introducing you to other people in his life.”

Seth went quiet for a while. “You make it sound like he definitely likes me. I still feel like he’s hesitating sometimes.”

Roman shrugged, even though Seth couldn’t see him. “He may be. We’ll have to figure out why. But, I’m sure if he wasn’t interested he wouldn’t invite you.”

“He said I could bring someone along,” Seth said. “I was gonna take my friend, but you should come. Maybe you’d get a read on him. See if he really likes me?”

Roman had done something similar a couple times before, so it wasn’t a big deal. This was a perfect opportunity to get an accurate read on Dean and his budding relationship with Seth. “That actually sounds like a great idea. I’d love to come.”

“Great!” Seth chirped into the phone. “It’s a lounge, so do I have permission to dress all fancy for once?”

Roman laughed. “By all means, Seth. Dress up.”

\---

The lounge was surprisingly very high end and upscale, located right at the edge of Miami. He and Seth arrived fashionably late, but it didn’t take long for them to spot Dean and his coworkers occupying an entire corner of the room by themselves.

“Hey!” A guy that Roman assumed was Dean, said when he spotted them approaching. He stood up and hugged Seth, who basically beamed brighter than the colorful lights surrounding them. “Glad you could make it.”

“I wouldn’t miss it!” Seth said, and then he turned to introduce Roman. “This is Roman. Roman this is the guy I’ve been telling you about; Dean.”

“He talks about me, huh?” Dean asked as he extended a hand, which Roman took with a smile. “All good things, hopefully.”

“Wonderful things,” Roman assured as he shook Dean’s hand.

“Good,” Dean said as he sat down again and patted the seat next to him for Seth to sit down.

The next few minutes were spent making introductions. Roman met Cena, the owner of the gym. Nikki, Cena’s girlfriend, and her twin sister Brie who were yoga instructors. Big E and AJ, who were two of the personal trainers. Alexa Bliss, who taught the self-defense classes with Dean. And finally, Tyler and Fandango, the on-site nutritionist and the café manager. 

Roman introduced himself as a life coach and consultant, but didn’t give much more information than that. He was a natural conversationalist, so he engaged and conversed with everyone for the most part, telling jokes and being charming while also keeping a close eye on Seth and Dean. 

He found himself keeping a closer eye on Dean, though. Dean was…

Ok, Dean was attractive. Based on first looks and impressions, he was the type of guy Roman would be into. He seemed passionate out his job, he was funny, he had a laid-back personality with just the right amount of mysterious aura shrouding him, but not too much where it seemed like he was hiding something sinister. And he was hot. Man, was he fine, and when he smiled, his eyes – which were already luminescent because of the lights – shone a brighter shade of blue. 

Roman caught himself staring, and unfortunately (or fortunately), so did Dean.

“What are you drinking?” Roman asked, when Dean caught his eyes again and didn’t look away when Seth left to go to the bathroom.

“Grey goose,” Dean said.

“Looks like you’d rather be drinking something else,” Roman speculated as he took in Dean’s full glass. “Or nothing at all.”

Dean smiled and shifted to regard Roman as he moved closer so they could hear each other talk over the pulsing trip-hop music that played throughout the room.

“You’re right,” Dean agreed as he watched Roman closely. “I’m a beer guy.”

“Me too,” Roman said. “But I can take a nice martini now and then.” 

How easy it was for him to slip into his flirtatious mode. Roman then noticed the way Dean’s eyes made a quick sweep of his body and he smiled, turning up the charm when Dean looked him in the eyes again. He felt a quick jolt of pure sexual attraction, which seemed to suddenly make him hyperaware of the fact that he was here working and that he should NOT be flirting with his client’s interest.

“Roman, right?” Dean asked leaning forward to brace his elbows on his knees. “Sorry, I’m shit with names.”

“Right,” Roman said, and then cleared his throat as he tried to go back to being professional. “So, how did you meet Seth?”

Dean hesitated for a while before he answered. “At the gym. You should stop by sometime.”

“You should!” Nikki said as she walked past, catching the tail end of their conversation. “You’re a life coach. I’m sure your clients have a lot of stress and need an outlet. What better way to get in a good headspace than at the gym? You could refer them!”

“I’m sorry,” Her sister said apologetically as she accepted the drink Nikki had brought for her. “She’s always in networking mode. A Masters in Business will turn you into that.”

“If not, you should still come on in.” Nikki offered, ignoring her sister. “We can give you a friends and families discount.”

Before Roman could reject the offer, Seth arrived and spoke up for him. “That would be great, huh, Roman? You can come with me tomorrow afternoon.”

Roman hesitated. One outing with your client was fine, but getting too entangled in their life and the people in it wasn’t a good idea. 

Seth stared at him, pleading with his eyes and Roman sighed. “Ok, fine.”

_ A few visits shouldn’t hurt.  _ Roman said to himself as he made eye contact with Dean again, who seemed to be staring at Roman as much as Roman was staring at him earlier, which should have let Roman know that this situation could turn problematic really quickly. 

But he was professional, and he was good at his job, and in a few weeks, Seth and Dean would be together, and Roman…

Well, hopefully he would still have that friends and family discount.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Back with another chapter. Let me know what you guys think! No beta this time around so please let me know if there are any mistakes and I'll fix it :(. I'm so bad at spotting my own mistakes.

“I can’t believe you have Seth Rollins as a client.” Naomi said on the other end of the line.

Roman tucked his phone between his ear and his shoulder and bent down to pet his cat, Mortimer. Mortimer was quite mature and he’d become really affectionate and a little clingy in his old age. Roman didn’t mind. He was a total cat person (and a dog person, and a bird person, and a rabbit person, and a reptile person), so he didn't mind hanging out with Mortimer when he wanted attention.

“He’s filthy rich,” Naomi went on. In the background, he could hear her typing up a storm, probably jotting down notes for her new short story, hacking into something or, shit, maybe she was playing a game. Roman didn’t know and he didn’t ask because if it was something illegal (as it sometimes is), if he didn’t know, he couldn’t snitch when the feds came to his door. “He must be paying you a fortune. How much is he paying you?”

“That’s confidential, babe, you know that.” Roman reminded her as he rummaged around in his fridge for something to munch on.

“If it doesn’t work out with him and the guy, you should probably get on that,” Naomi advised. “You’d be set for life. You know his family is worth 2.4 billion dollars? I mean, they ain’t The Hiltons, but that’s a lot of green. I read, though, that his mom raised him away from her ex-husband's fortune, but still... I bet his loving grandfather still gives him hella cash, judging by the way you described his penthouse.” Naomi paused to sigh wistfully. "Can you imagine dating someone that rich?"

Roman laughed into the phone as he pulled out a bowl of some leftover takeout from the night before and put it in the microwave to heat up. “Uh, I’m ok, Naomi. Not really looking for anything serious right now. Not even if its with someone filthy rich.”

Naomi tsked and sucked her teeth. “You’ve been saying that for three years since you started taking this job of yours seriously. I don’t get it. You’re smart, you’re emotional or whatever, and you’re extremely gorgeous! It’s abnormal for you to be single.”

“I’m not abnormal!” Roman protested. “Hey, I’m just not looking right now. I like keeping things casual. When the time is right, it’ll be right.”

He couldn’t see her, but he could practically hear Naomi roll her eyes. Thankfully, she dropped the subject with a “whatever, Roman”, and their conversation drifted to a safer topic.

\---

Roman gave Seth the idea to take Dean to a wrestling show for their second date. When he suggested it, Seth looked at him as if he was crazy, and Roman took pride in showing off his observational skills. He loved when people doubted him.

“When you enter the gym, there’s a wall of photographs,” Roman explained as he took a pair of tickets out of his shirt pocket and placed them in Seth’s hands. “If you paid attention to it, you would have noticed that a few of those pictures are of Dean and several pro-wrestlers, some of them really famous.”

“Wrestling?” Seth asked, seemingly still a little confused. He stared down at the tickets in his hand and frowned. “He’s into wrestling? Oh, no, Roman! I don’t know anything about wrestling!”

“That’s fine!” Roman insisted. “Make sure you let him know you’re clueless, but tell him you thought about him when you saw a flyer because…” Roman gestured for Seth to continue the sentence.

Seth only shrugged in response.

Roman sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Because you saw the pictures on the wall at the gym.”

“Because I saw the pictures,” Seth repeated. “Right.”

Roman smiled at him and clapped him on the shoulder. “You’ll be fine. Because you’re being honest, he won’t expect you to know anything, but maybe he’ll explain certain things to you. It’ll get the conversation going.”

“Yeah!” Seth agreed, suddenly enthusiastic. “I’m actually excited to see this wrestling stuff now. Maybe I might like it! It could be our thing, you know? You know how couples have that thing that they are into together?”

Roman laughed. “Don’t get too ahead of yourself, ok, man? One step at a time, remember?”

Seth nodded and stared down at the tickets. “One step at a time.”

\---

Cena Fitness was a damn good gym. Flashy, yet humble and unpretentious, it was the kind of place Roman could see as a permanent fixture, which sucked because he knew that after Dean and Seth were ‘locked in’, he’d have to stop going there. In the meantime, he took advantage of that friends and family discount. He went about four times a week, early in the morning. He got to know the staff a bit better while he was there, but he never ran into Dean, who was mainly at the gym in the afternoons.

After the successful second date, however, Roman decided to pay the gym a visit one afternoon in hopes of ‘accidentally’ running into Dean so they could have a conversation. He knew quite a bit about Dean, but he didn’t know as much as he’d like. And Dean was a peculiar person. He seemed interested in Seth, but he kept him at bay sometimes, which wasn't really out of the ordinary, but it would do both Seth and Roman good to know how Dean felt about the possibility of a relationship. And if he was open to the idea, why was he still hesitant?

He arrived at the gym around 7 because, according to Seth, Dean’s self-defense class ended at 6:30 and he usually stayed around for an hour until his next class. When Roman arrived, Dean was over at the cardio section, overseeing a pretty girl as she ran on one of the treadmills. They seemed engrossed in their conversation, so Roman made his way over to the strength training machines to do his own thing for the time being.

He was just starting to get into the groove of his workout when Dean came over to him. Roman was surprised that Dean actually approached him, but he went along with it.

“Hey man,” Roman said in greeting as he set down his weights and flexed his wrists.

“Hey,” Dean replied as he took a seat on one on the vacated benches. “How’s the workout? You liking it here so far?”

“Yeah!” Roman said as he picked up his towel and wiped the sweat away from his forehead. “I usually come in the morning when it’s not this packed, but it’s all good.”

“Oh, that’s why I never see you,” Dean said. “I’m never here before 5."

“You been keeping an eye open for me?” Roman said, and then he mentally cursed himself. He was going down the flirting route again. It was unintentional and he usually had these things under control but with Dean it just happened naturally. Like a flow.

Dean huffed out a laugh and rolled his eyes at Roman, but he was smiling. “Don’t get too full of yourself, alright? As a staff member, I’m supposed to make sure the customers actually like it here. Especially if we invite them.”

Now, if Dean was a guy Roman was trying to woo and if he seemed receptive to his advances (which he did), he’d say something like, “Since you happen to be employed here, it’s now my favorite gym.” Or, “Do you give private lessons? I’m really interested in taking a few classes, but I’d like to train in a more intimate setting.” But Dean was NOT someone Roman was supposed to be interested in, so he went with a very basic, “I like it here. The equipment is nice, the staff is friendly, and I was never one to let a discount go to waste, you know what I’m sayin’?”

Dean grinned at him again and his cute dimples went on full display. “I feel you.”

“Plus, I saw the pictures in the entryway of a you and a few of your coworkers with some wrestlers. A gym owned by wrestling fans is the place for me.”

Dean eyes lit up. “You’re into wrestling?”

“When I was a kid and a teen, I was obsessed!” Roman replied excitedly. “Haven’t been much into it these days, but man… My ma’s basement is full of all the memorabilia I collected. I got titles, paying cards, posters, toys, tickets stubs –”

“Shit, me too!” Dean exclaimed. “Bro, you should have seen my room back in the 90s.”

“Who was your favorite?”

“Geez. Too many to name. Retribution, Diablo, Black Widow… my all-time favorite though is The Maestro.”

“A legend!” Roman said, feeling as though he was back in his teen years, getting excitable over wrestlers like he did back in the day.

“I actually saw his son wrestle a few days ago,” Dean said. “Seth took me to a house show. He noticed the pictures on the wall, too! I swear you two are the only ones that ever mentioned them to me.”

Roman’s smile faltered a little at the mention of Seth and their date, but he kept up appearances.” He did? That’s cool. You had fun?”

“It was great! Maestro’s son, Anubis, is fucking awesome in the ring. He can’t talk for shit, though. Needs some mic training. But, damn, he’s athletic. He put on a hell of a show.”

“I should check him out whenever they’re back in the area.” Roman said as he took a sip of water from his sports bottle. He’d stopped sweating, but he was starting to feel a bit gross.

“We should go together if they come back to Miami… I mean, if you want,” Dean offered hesitantly. He looked down at his hand and fiddled with his fingers shyly and Roman had to force himself not to blurt out an immediate “YES!”.

“We’ll see,” Roman said, friendly, but still noncommittal and very curt. “Hey, I’m gonna hit the showers. I’m starting to feel a little rank. But, hey it was nice seeing you, man.”

“Uh, y-yeah.” Dean replied, a little flustered by the conversation’s abrupt end.

Roman nodded once and turned to leave, but before he could get far, Dean stopped him.

“Hey, you wanna get a drink or something?”

Roman froze and cursed under his breath. He'd almost made it.

“My next session is cancelled because Alexa took a bad punch from one of the ladies in the class. I was gonna head to the bar anyway and I suppose some company wouldn’t hurt.” Dean said as he watched Roman closely. When Roman didn’t reply, he spoke up again. “Unless you got something to do…”

“No!” Roman said a little too quickly. “I, uh… Ok. Sure. I’ll come.”

Dean gave him another bright smile and Roman smiled back, feeling… something. He didn’t know if it was nervousness or what, but he felt tingly all over. He told himself that this was for research so he could help paint a better picture of Dean’s personality and wants for Seth, and he repeated that this was not for selfish reasons at all and that he definitely wasn’t going just so he could stare into Dean’s blue eyes and listen to his dry, raspy laugh.

He figured that maybe if he told himself that enough times, it’ll turn into the truth.

\---

Dean took them to a bar down the street that was within walking distance. He seemed to be a regular because he was greeted with all smiles and a “Your usual, Ambrose?” from one of the bartenders. Dean’s usual was bourbon on the rocks and Roman, of course, made a mental note of that.

They fell into an easy conversation. They talked about everything between wrestling to sports in general, which led to them talking about their teams. Roman enthusiastically claimed the Miami Dolphins, but Dean was all about the Cowboys, much to Roman's mild disgust.

“I’m actually from Ohio, but the Browns suck ass.” Dean explained. “My dad, though. He’s from Texas, home grown, and I spent a lot of time there, so I picked up on the culture.”

“A country boy,” Roman laughed. “Nice.”

“Oh no,” Dean said while he shook his head vehemently. “I’m a city boy, through and through. Country life ain’t for me. I just like the football and the food, ok?”

“So how did you end up in Miami?” Roman asked, genuinely interested. “Got family here?”

Dean shook his head. “Nah. I’m all alone out here. Well, not alone, but no family. I actually moved here because Cena was a buddy in college and when he said he had a spot for me in the gym, I jumped on the opportunity.” He paused and looked down at his glass. “Had to get outta Ohio.”

“You got warrants?” Roman asked, sensing Dean’s discomfort and wanting to liven the mood again. “They got wanted posters for you there or something?”

Dean laughed. “Not that I know of. He paused again and shrugged. “My ex. I had to get away from him. We were together for a long time and he hurt me really bad, so everything around me reminded me of him. My apartment, my job, our mutual friends, even my family. It was probably cowardly for me to run like that, but… I’m happier now. Away from all that.”

“I get you,” Roman said quietly. “It’s not cowardly. You gotta do what you gotta do, yeah?”

Dean downed his glass and unceremoniously wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “Yeah. I’m kinda glad I left it all behind. Except, I brought my baggage and trust issues with me, unfortunately.”

Roman made another note of that and shrugged. “It’s cool. I mean, you need time to heal. Maybe you’ll hang onto those things for a long time, but your trust issues is just your mind trying to protect your heart and emotions from getting hurt again. It’s just somethin’ you gotta work on.”

“You sound like my therapist.” Dean mumbled. He was avoiding eye contact but he was smiling.

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” Roman said.

“You should,” Dean insisted. “I used to always think therapy was bullshit. Like, what benefits would I get out of talking to some random person and listenin’ to their advice. But, I’ve been gettin’ better since I started seeing her, though. I’m even dating again. Your friend caught me at a right time.”

“Lucky him,” Roman said with a grin before he sipped his beer.

Dean stared at him silently for a few long seconds before he reached into his jean pocket and pulled out his phone. “Give me your number.”

Roman blinked at him as he struggled to make a very difficult decision. On one hand, he could let Dean know that it would be inappropriate to swap numbers because of Seth, and on the other hand, he could get Dean’s number and maybe be associates. Aqauintances. Dean could be yet another number in his phone. It didn’t mean they had to be super close or anything…

Right?

Right.

“I’m not asking you out or anything,” Dean said suddenly. “I don’t even know if you bat for my team, if you catch my drift.”

They both chuckled awkwardly at the joke before Roman finally got with the program. “Uh, it’s 786-009-0129. Sorry, I just… I didn’t want you to get the wrong idea…”

Dean entered the number into his contacts before he put his phone away again. “Nah, man, it’s fine. I just figured we could go for a few more drinks sometime. As friends.”

As if right on cue, his phone chimed. Roman apologized and took his phone out to look at the screen and he saw Seth’s name pop up right above message in the notifications.

 

**_My family Is having an informal lunch thing this weekend for my cousin’s birthday. Think I should invite Dean? I know it’s too soon to play ‘meet the parents’ but I [CLICK TO READ MORE]_ **

 

“I’ve been trying to meet new people so I’d be less of a recluse. So far, the only friends I’ve made are the guys at the gym, but my therapist says that I should try to branch out outside of work.” Dean continued. “So, here’s me… trying to make friends… outside of the gym…”

Roman turned off his phone display and gave Dean a reassuring smile. Nothing about Dean except for his bright eyes and dimples should be labeled as "cute". In fact, he was quite rugged. But, sometimes he had fleeting shy moments that made him look adorable and it did something terrible to Roman’s insides. It twisted his stomach up and made his heart beat a little faster and…

His phone chimed again and Roman knew it had to be Seth asking him about more plans he had for Dean.

“I’m always open to new friendships,” Roman said casually. “Especially with wrestling fans who will get me a bigger discount than the one I already have on my gym membership.”

Dean bit his lip and scoffed, and just like that the shyness was gone, but it was replaced by his usual lax demeanor, which was extremely hot to Roman. It seemed like no matter what Dean did, Roman either found him sexy or cute and that... That was bad.

“I’ll waive a three-month’s fee if you take me to see your old memorabilia one day.”

“You got a damn deal,” Roman said as he held out a hand for Dean to shake. When Dean shook his hand, they held on for a little longer than necessary.

Roman hadn’t felt this much chemistry with someone in a long, long time. There had been a few guys and girls, but none of them had made sparks shoot through his body with just a single touch. Dean was cool and funny and really, really good looking, and if it was under different circumstances, he’d be tripping over his feet to ask him out.

His phone chimed _**again** _ in his pocket and Roman groaned internally because he knew he was absolutely fucking screwed. 

**Author's Note:**

> come talk to me on [tumblroono](http://niajaxx.tumblr.com/)


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